The entire navy left by the late Government is to be got ready for
service with all possible speed. In addition to this, the standing
army, which had already been increased to 500,000 men with a view the
better to maintain order at home, and to keep a good watch on the
frontiers, has been still further strengthened. These are amongst the
first measures taken by the new Chancellor to avert dangers which
menace us from abroad.
In the speech which the Foreign Secretary made before the Committee
of Government, and in which he unfolded the above measures, he calls
attention to the necessity there is for them, in consequence of the
deplorable growth of friction, of complications and dissensions with
foreign powers. But it must distinctly be understood that the Minister
for Foreign Affairs was in no way responsible for this unfortunate
state of things. In the socialised Community it was the province of
this Minister to arrange with foreign powers for the barter of all
goods between State and State. It resulted from this arrangement that
all complaints in respect of inferiority of goods, or unpunctuality
in supplying them, had to be attended to in the form of diplomatic
notes. All that tension which sometimes ensued from the breaking
off of business connections, from the jealousies of competition, or
from similar commercial causes, and which formerly had only affected
mercantile circles, was now transferred to the direct relations
which one nation had with another. This is in the nature of the new
arrangements.
The Minister went on to say it had been hoped that the almost universal
consciousness of having adopted right principles, and the sentiment of
the brotherhood of all nations, would play a different part than had
been found to be the case in actual practice, toning down differences,
and bringing universal peace. He said it need occasion no surprise
that the English, that egotistical Manchester race, and their American
cousins, would have nothing at all to do with Socialism. They never
could get over it that the socialistic European continent, by the
repudiation of all State bonds, shares, and so on, had shaken off all
slavish indebtedness to English holders of continental scrip. But even
these inveterate lovers of money ought to see that Germany had lost
unnumbered millions more by the repudiation than it had gained. This
was evident, inasmuch as all the Russian, Austrian, Italian and other
bonds in German hands had also been repudiated by the socialistic
governments of those countries.
These various socialistic governments do not thank us a bit for
having, in our lofty consciousness of the international value of
Socialism, accepted without a murmur the abolition of all claims for
interest on such foreign bonds as were in our possession. Several of
these governments have latterly become so egotistical, and they show
such a want of regard for us, that they positively go the length of
refusing to let us have any goods except against either money down,
or an equivalent value in such other goods as they may require.
Payment in money was no difficulty to our Government so long as any of
those stocks of coined and uncoined gold and silver which had become
worthless to us were left. But now that we have by degrees got to the
end of our stock of noble metals, we are constantly coming across
all kinds of obstacles in the way of the exchange of our goods for
commodities which we need from other countries, such as corn, timber,
flax, cotton, wool, petroleum, coffee, etc. These obstructions are not
confined to the snobbish gentlemen of England and America, but they
are every bit as numerous on the part of the neighbouring socialistic
nations. Our requirements for the articles just mentioned have not
diminished one atom under our socialistic form of government. Quite
the reverse. But the neighbouring States, with similar views to our
own, tell us that since the introduction of the socialistic form
of government they find no demand at all for German goods, such as
velvets, shawls, ribbons, mantles, embroideries, gloves, pianos, glass
and similar wares. They say that since the restoration of the precise
balance of social equality, they produce more of these goods themselves
than there is a demand for.
The English and Americans, in their enmity to Socialism, are
everlastingly drumming it into us that our manufactures, from ironware
and textile goods down to stockings and toys, have so deteriorated
under the new system of manufacture, that they can no longer pay us
the old prices; and they say that unless an improvement takes place
they will have to look to other sources of supply. But even as it is,
with the enhanced cost of production, we cannot make our trade pay. All
attempts to settle an international maximum working-day have failed,
as the various socialistic governments allow particular interests to
influence them, and pretend that in this matter they must be guided by
such special features as climate, national character, and the like.
What is our Government to do in this dilemma? The fact that we, on
our part, now require no more silk, and no more expensive wines from
abroad, is but a meagre compensation for the loss of our export
trade, amounting to many millions. It can occasion no surprise that
the exchange of diplomatic notes partakes daily of an increasingly
irritable character. Already, both on the West and on the East, hints
have fallen that the right thing for Germany to do, seeing she seems
incapable of maintaining her population, would be for her to cede
slices of the country to neighbouring States. Nay, the question is even
debated whether it would not be advisable, as a precautionary measure,
to lay an attachment on these border lands, as security for the bill
which Germany had run up for goods supplied to her.
Foreign holders of German bonds who feel themselves injured by our
repudiation, take every opportunity of indemnifying themselves by
laying an embargo on German vessels and merchandise. Then again, the
assistance given by foreign ships to fugitives from our country, is a
permanent cause of angry representations.
In short, the hope that the advent of Socialism everywhere would prove
synonymous with the reign of eternal peace between the nations, was so
far from being realised that the very opposite threatened. The Minister
concluded his speech by saying that the Committee of Government could
hence hardly fail to see the necessity there was for the navy being
again fitted out for service; and it would doubtless also sanction the
increase of the army to a million men.